Kansas mothers and babies will receive better access to maternal health care support, thanks to recent changes to the state’s Medicaid program.
Changes that will recognize and reimburse doulas, as well as better reimburse lactation consultants, will benefit Kansas families.
Medicaid coverage, reimbursement rates and recognition of providers all directly impact the availability and quality of health care Medicaid recipients can receive.
This is why the Health Fund advocates so strongly to: strengthen coverage, ensure reimbursement rates can sustain services, and expand care teams to include culturally competent providers.
We are encouraged by recent improvements to Kansas’ Medicaid program, known as KanCare, that will benefit our state’s mothers and babies.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment added doula services to KanCare’s coverage this summer. Now, doulas can provide crucial support during pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum under Medicaid, receiving reimbursement for up to $1,295 per delivery.
According to the National Institutes of Health, moms who use doulas are two times less likely to experience birth complications and four times less likely to give birth to an underweight baby.
The effort to add, recognize and reimburse doulas was led by Health Fund grantees Kansas Birth Justice Society and Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition. Beyond supporting these organizations and other partners, we advocated for this policy change because we believe it will improve maternal health outcomes in our state.
Doulas serve as advocates and educators for pregnant women and new mothers. They can help women experience a positive and safe birth, staying by their side during delivery and providing pain-relief measures like breathing techniques and laboring positions.
Doulas may also help new mothers begin breastfeeding and encourage bonding with the baby.
They also can maintain more frequent contact with patients than physicians often can. They can provide home visits and serve as a resource to answer questions about what’s normal and when it’s time to see a doctor. They can help bridge the gap between limited, overloaded physicians and their patients.
“Increasing KanCare’s coverage to include doulas is a huge win – especially for our state’s rural communities, who are increasingly losing obstetric-care services.”
— Health Fund
More than ever, we need innovative ways to provide maternal health care to these rural mothers, and we see doulas as a part of that solution. We look forward to seeing doulas continue to play a vital and growing role in the health of Kansas women and their babies.
We’re also celebrating KanCare’s decision in the last year to increase reimbursement rates and coverage options for lactation services. This was another huge win for Kansas mothers and their families.
The Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, with funding support from the Health Fund, worked with the Kansas Division of Health Care Finance to increase reimbursement rates for lactation consultation services from $10 to $40 per visit in late 2023. This move helps ensure moms can receive breastfeeding support when they need it. It also helps alleviate financial hardship to the hospitals and local health departments providing the service.
Lactation support has been shown to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. Breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits to babies and their mothers, as well as facilitates emotional bonding between the two.
As part of this advocacy effort, a statewide workgroup was formed. They paid special focus to rural communities while discussing ways to increase access to lactation services across the state, including telehealth appointments for lactation consultations.
This is another win for Kansas families, making these important consultations even more accessible to mothers who are facing breastfeeding challenges.
For more than a decade, the Health Fund has been a steadfast advocate and financial supporter of breastfeeding initiatives. We are immensely proud to have supported these vital efforts, which promote the health and well-being of mothers and babies alike.
OTHER RECENT MEDICIAD ADVANCEMENTS:
In addition to these wins, we’re also celebrating other recent KanCare improvements we supported through both funding and advocacy:
- Increased reimbursements for Community Health Workers
- Increased access to mental health care services within schools